1 Chronicles 9:4

Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the children of Pharez the son of Judah.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani.—Nehemiah 11:4 traces this line thus: “Athaiah son of Uzjiah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Perez.” Uthai is equivalent to Athaiah, and Imri to Amariah, by a common contraction. The other intermediate names in the two series do not coincide; but this does not prove that Uthai and Athaiah are different clans. Many more than five or six members would obviously be required to constitute a complete genealogical stem, reaching from post-exilic times to the age of the tribal patriarchs. We may therefore conclude that the compiler has chosen to select different names in each case from a longer list, which comprised both series.

Benson Commentary

1 Chronicles 9:4. Ammihud — That there is so great a diversity of names between this catalogue and that Nehemiah 11., may be ascribed to two causes. 1st, To the custom of the Hebrews, who used frequently to give several names to one person. And, 2d, To the change of times; for here they are named who came up at the first return: but many of those in Nehemiah might be such as returned afterward, and came and dwelt, either instead of the persons here named, or with them.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

9:1-44 Genealogies. - This chapter expresses that one end of recording all these genealogies was, to direct the Jews, when they returned out of captivity, with whom to unite, and where to reside. Here is an account of the good state into which the affairs of religion were put, on the return from Babylon. Every one knew his charge. Work is likely to be done well when every one knows the duty of his place, and makes a business of it. God is the God of order. Thus was the temple a figure of the heavenly one, where they rest not day nor night from praising God, Re 4:8. Blessed be His name, believers there shall, not in turn, but all together, without interruption, praise him night and day: may the Lord make each of us fit for the inheritance of the saints in light.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The correspondence and the diversity between the account here and in Nehemiah Neh. 11:4-19 are explained by the probability that both writers drew from a common and fuller document. They selected, in some instances, different names, or names which are now different through corruption; and they frequently expressed the genealogies of the same persons differently, both going on the principle of compression by means of omissions, but omitting from their lists different links of the chain.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions—This chapter relates wholly to the first returned exiles. Almost all the names recur in Nehemiah (Ne 11:1-36), although there are differences which will be explained there. The same division of the people into four classes was continued after, as before the captivity; namely, the priests, Levites, natives, who now were called by the common name of Israelites, and the Nethinims (Jos 9:27; Ezr 2:43; 8:20). When the historian speaks of "the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions," he implies that there were others who afterwards returned and settled in possessions not occupied by the first. Accordingly, we read of a great number returning successively under Ezra, Nehemiah, and at a later period. And some of those who returned to the ancient inheritance of their fathers, had lived before the time of the captivity (Ezr 3:12; Hag 2:4, 10).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

That there is so great a diversity of names between this catalogue and that Ne 11, may be ascribed to two causes:

1. To the custom of the Hebrews, who used very frequently to give two or three several names to one person; and,

2. To the change of times; for here they are named who came up at the first return; but many of those in Nehemiah might be such as returned afterward, and came and dwelt either instead of the persons here named, who might be then dead, or gone from Jerusalem, or with them.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Uthai, the son of Ammihud,.... Called Athaiah, Nehemiah 11:4 though his ancestors there are differently reckoned here; his genealogy here is traced from his father Ammihud, through Omri, Imri, Bani, Pharez, to Judah.

Geneva Study Bible

Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the children of Pharez the son of Judah.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

4. Uthai] In Neh. Athaiah. The two words are more alike in Heb. than in English and are perhaps to be regarded as various readings of one name.

Pharez] R.V. Perez, as in 1 Chronicles 2:4-5 (R.V.); Genesis 38:29 (R.V.); and Nehemiah 11:4 (A.V. also). We have here (1 Chronicles 9:4-6) a threefold division of the tribe of Judah into the descendants of Perez, Shelah, and Zerah, just as in Numbers 26:20.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 4. - This verse contains a short list, with many links wanting, of descendants of Judah through Pharez, six in number, and in reverse order. .4. similar list as regards its extreme terms is that which we find in Nehemiah 11:4, but only three (Uthai, Imri, Pharez) of the six names here can be considered identical with a like number (Athaiah, Amariah, Perez) out of the seven found there. Nehemiah 11:6 adds, "The number of the sons of Perez that dwelt at Jerusalem four hundred three score and eight valiant men." 1 Chronicles 9:4

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

In the same place there dwelt, of the sons of Judah, three chiefs of the three most important families of Judah, that of Pharez, that of Shelah, and that of Zerah; cf. 1 Chronicles 2:3-4. Of the family of Pharez was Uthai, whose descent is traced back in 1 Chronicles 9:4 to Bani, of the children of Pharez. The Kethibh בן־בנימן־בּני is clearly to be read according to the Keri מן־בּני בן־בּני. The name Bani occurs, 1 Chronicles 6:31, among the Merarites; while in the genealogies of Judah, 1 Chronicles 2-4, neither Bani nor Uthai, nor any one of his ancestors who are here named, is mentioned. In Nehemiah 11:4, on the contrary, there is named of the sons of Pharez, Athaiah (עתיה, perhaps only another form of עוּתי), with quite other ancestors; while not a single one of the five names of the persons through whom his race is traced back to Mahalaleel, of the sons of Pharez, coincides with the ancestors of Uthai.